I've lived in Texas for 24 years and found out recently that I love South Carolina cooking. This cookbook has some real winners in it. The shrimp and artichoke casserole was a big hit at my last dinner party. My Texas friends really liked the corn\black bean salsa.

This was a well written cook book with great recipes and easy to follow instructions. I definitely recommend it. In addition, the young lady I got the book from was gorgeous.

Down By The Water is a fabulous collection of recipes complete with seasonal menus, a wine overview and a resource guide for ordering stone-ground grits and other unique ingredients. There are over 300 triple tested recipes using fresh ingredients. Featured selections are Piedmont Punch, Blueberry Pound Cake, Black Bean Lasagna, Charleston Chicken Salad and many more. Recipes include selections from area chefs as well.

The book is a durable, easily cleaned hardcover and lies flat for convenient use. Friends have mistaken this book for a coffee table book rather than a cookbook because it is so beautiful! Down By The Water is a must have!

I love this book! I picked it up at the library and had to buy a copy of my very own. Detailed, month-by-month directions for caring for the best southern plants. I highly suggest this for anyone in the south for easy to use, definitive directions for keeping your plants happy and healthy.
Go Will Rehder, Jr.!

Profusely illustrated with more than one hundred color photographs by Freda H. Wilkins, Henry Rehder's Growing A Beautiful Garden: A Landscape Guide For The Coastal Carolinas is an informatively written, superbly presented, "reader friendly" compendium of horticultural advice and insights for establishing a flourishing and esthetically pleasing regional garden landscape. Gardening expert Rehder offers a wealth of practical ideas and suggestions for choosing and maintaining plants that will thrive under coastal conditions and offers a step-by-step, month-by-month guide for more than a hundred ornamental shrubs, trees, perennials, and lawngrasses. Very highly recommended for personal and professional gardening, landscaping, and horticultural reference collections, Growing A Beautiful Garden also covers the mechanics of plant installation, weeds, insects, diseases, animal pests, and fertilizers.

I was excited to see a book published that was specific to the coastal area of the Carolinas. The book contains information on all of the most common landscape plants used in the area including a month by month guide to the care for each species. It has been very helpful to me in planning and caring for my "garden."

I really enjoyed this book! What makes it even more special is that I got to visit with the author, Andie Weathers, at Christmas time. She graciosly spent the time discussing the whole process of writing and publishing a book. I highly recommend this picture book for any child who wants to learn about sea life and Charleston, South Carolina!...I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot from it. I look forward to Andie's next book!

This beautifully illustrated book is an engaging tale about a little hermit crab that travels to various real-life destinations looking for a new shell (because Hermy has outgrown his old shell). Like most children, my kids (ages 8, 6 and 4) love the beach, and they were captivated by the Hermy story and illustrations. The main character is a hermit crab, but the cast of characters includes some other ocean favorites, such as a sand dollar and a sea horse. The lighthouse and shipwreck captured my son's attention. The innovative format includes a map of Hermy's journey, and an informative "Hermy's Beachside Glossary" that answered many questions that my children had. There is also a detailed write-up of the biology of the hermit crab included at the end, which provided enrichment for my 8-year-old and me! My children are avid readers and it is often difficult to find new books that capture their attention---Hermy the Hermit Crab was a welcome, rare find. We have given this book to other kids for a birthay present, and it was a winner.

The book is well written for children of all ages. It is a wonderful lesson about the creatures of the sea. While it captures the true essence of the sea life of the South Carolina coast, it is a book that anyone across the country will enjoy and relate to.

However, it is the incredible illustrations that make the book come to life. The animated creatures appear human-like but do not lose their sea creature-like quality. The vivid colors and attention to detail will capture the attention of the reader (young or old) for hours.

This guidebook has long been sorely needed. Great maps, great directions, full information. I have used it for several hikes and found it to be on the money. This is in contrast to the hiking guide I previously used, which was confusing and lacked adequate maps.

I have especially enjoyed learning about great hiking opportunities in the South Carolina Low Country, in addition to the tried and true mountain trails.

I've never though of South Carolina as being much of a state for hiking, but this book has changed my mind. South Carolina is full of trails! Several dozen of the best trails are described in detail. Flora, fauna, interesting features, the usual outdoor stuff, but eloquently depicted. Could use more photos, but you'll probably be taking plenty of your own at some of the gorgeous places listed here. As it is, the book small enough to fit easily into a rucksack. There are good, accurate maps. If a trail is especially difficult there is a graph to help you gauge your efforts - you can see how much is uphill, how much downhill, how much is level, etc. Helps a lot with the pacing. The back of the book has a list of ALL the trails in the state. There is a telephone number listed for each one so you can call for more information. Also has basic how-to information for beginning hikers. If you want to get out and see more of South Carolina, this is the way to do it! Highly recommended.

Falcon Guides' "Hiking South Carolina," by John Clark and John Dantzler, has it all: great maps, articulate and informative narratives, over 50 interesting photos, and a plethora of details that provide readers with everything they need to know to enjoy South Carolina's natural heritage. It even has an introduction by Judge Alex Sanders, President of the College of Charleston, whose unorthodox insight is humorous and informative.

As is the case with all Falcon Guides, the maps are superb. There are detailed maps of each of the book's 62 featured hikes, each with a locator map inset, plus an overview map of the Mountain Bridge Natural Area network of trails and a numbered, locator overview page that pinpoints on a single state map the location of each of the featured hikes.

The prose is well-written and informative, with descriptions of history, flora, and fauna, in addition to helpful directions to guide hikers and enable them to avoid problems with confusing trail indicators. The authors hiked all described trails over the past two years to insure the accuracy and timeliness of all information. "Hiking South Carolina" even has descriptions of recently completed segments of the new mountains-to-sea Palmetto Trail, plus an overview of this exciting project.

If you like details, this book is definitely for you. For each hike, it has superb directions to trailheads and information on distances, trail conditions, fees, rest rooms and other facilities, nearby lodging and amenities, and where to obtain additional information. The appendix contains a directory of over 300 trails, plus a comprehensive bibliography, phone numbers, web sites, hiker's checklist, and more.

As Chair of the South Carolina Sierra Club, this reviewer recommends "Hiking South Carolina" enthusiastically and without reservation.

"Home by the River" refers to Archibald Rutledge's home on Hampton Plantation near the Santee River near the coast of South Carolina. The river here is the Santee. (When Mr. Rutledge was young the Santee was a greater river than today, because in the 1930's much of it's flow was diverted to the Cooper River and Charleston when dams were built upstream in Berkley County.)

Hampton is no longer a plantation-the Civil War put and end to that-but when Archibald lived there it still had all the requisite amenities: a Greco-style mansion with porticos and widows walk, rice fields with floodgates and dikes, and acres of pines and hardwoods forest. Some of the blacks who lived on or near Hampton and who worked there had been Hampton slaves in their youth.

Hamton Plantation fell into disrepair during the 30 plus years that Archibald Rutledge lived in Pennsylvania where he worked as a school teacher. Much of this book describes his efforts to restore Hampton to its former splendor.

One can imagine Hampton in it's heyday when the mover and shakers of Colonial and ante-bellum society frequented the plantation. Great piles of ham, turkey, and duck greeted George Washington, the Marquis de Lafeyette, and other visitors. It seems General George Washington and his French military peer stayed in every notable house along the Carolina coast. There are signs all over reading "George Washington" slept here. I read about a Lafayette visit in a history of Edisto Island. South Carolinians are guilty of ostentatious name dropping when it comes to the father of our country. It is a point of which we are obviously proud.

Archibald Rutledge didn't have a lot of money to rebuild Hampton. (I wonder how he paid the taxes on several thousand acres of land on a teacher's pension and meager book royalties. The tax bill handed over to his heirs must be one reason the land now belongs to the state.) Yet archibald restored each dusty room of Hampton with the help of local carpenters and back-breaking work. We see the old history of the mansion revealed to us layer by layer as he peels away plaster and paint.

I found most enjoyable the sections of the book on hunting and gardening. Archibald Rutledge was a writer and poet whose hunting stories were printed in Field and Stream magazine. He also wrote for Harpers and the Saturday Evening Post. That hunting remains popular while poetry does not must account for the longevity of his printed material. Had he only written poetry his work might have fallen into obscurity-this is not to say it is not good. Rather, people simply don't revere poets like the used to. (Quick: name two poems by Robert Frost. How about Wallace Stevens?)

I read carefully as Archibald Rutledge describes how he carefully transplanted live oak trees, myrtle bushes, and planted azaleas and camellias around Hampton. He describes the tricks he discovered for making these plants thrive and survive relocation. Botanists take note. Live oaks adorned with Spanish Moss, myrtle bushes, azaleas, and camellias are the foliage that defined the Carolina coast. Their great beauty was much appreciated at Hampton.

Of course hunting was Archibald Rutledge's passion and this is where the sports enthusiast will enjoy "Home by the River" most. I read with envy his description of great clouds of ducks as they flew up out of his rice fields. (These great clouds are still there albeit diminished by market hunting which has since been outlawed and wetlands destruction which has been outlawed as well. Most of the ducks still on the Santee River flock to the government-owned Santee Gun club where they are relatively safe from the average hunter who is without political connections. There is much to be said about this government hoarding of ducks I believe.)

Archibald Rutledge hunted turkeys in the fall. Now we hunt turkeys in the spring because that is when the old toms gobble seeking to mate. Such relatively easy prey seemed unsporting in Archibald's day. Then you could only hunt them in the fall. Archibald would sleep in the swamp and crawl on his belly just to get close to one. For the whitetail deer hunter there is plenty of narrative on that sport too. Mr. Rutledge not only hunted deer he observed them as a naturalist to learn their habits. He would sit in a tree all night long to watch when they came out to feed.

It is too bad that Rutledge's book "God's Children" is out-of-print and not listed in the Amazon.com index. No doubt it has been purged from certain card catalogues because the modern reader might find it racist. In it Archibald Rutledge paints portraits of the blacks who worked at Hampton. He talks of one man's great skill with an ax. Of another he marvels at the grace with which he flings a castnet to catch fish. Of others he talks about their propensity to drink, sleep to excess, beat their wives, or fornicate. His greatest reverence is reserved for Old Tom, the man with whom Mr. Rutledge spent countless hours hunting deer, duck, and turkey. (There is a book on Old Tom listed in the amazon.com index.) Some might be aghast at his glowing admiration for the supposedly simple tasks of cutting wood, netting fish, or calling turkey--maybe that is all these simple people can do? That benevolent, paternal manner harkens back to the plantation days when the negroes look admirably on their masters with upturned eyes and cherub faces. But I find "God's Children" a heartfelt memoir and a glowing testimonial to people who Mr. Rutledge considered true friends and skilled workers. And anyone who has fell a tree, tossed a cast net, or hunted turkey will tell you that it is not simple.

In the amazon.com index I also don't see "Old Flintlock" the biography of Archibald Rutledge written by his son.

An intetresting story of the South Carolina Lowcountry, it's history and wildlife. Anyone who enjoys the outdoors, history, or wants to know more about South Carolina should read this book. It is an excellent book by the famed poet laureate of South Carolina, Archibald Rutledge.

Home by the River by Archibald Rutledge provides on with such a down to earth experience, that Hampton Plantation seems to come to life. The author describes his days growing up on the plantation, his leaving, and his returning home to restore the house and grounds. He finds some unique treasures, such as a letter written to his great-great-grandmother from George Washington, a secret passageway inside the house, and a cache of twenty-eight Delft tiles dating from medieval times.Also described in the book are the close relationships with the resident Negroes who helped him restore portions of the house and grounds. One acquires a deep affection for the author and his "home" by the river upon reading this book. My copy of the book is signed by the author and a descendant of one of the plantation's slaves, Will Alston

Zimler's book is a triumph of modern fiction: an absolutely gripping narrative of love and loss set against a backdrop of fantastic historic drama. Zimler rises to the incredible quality of his bestselling The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon. The characters are rich and fully realized, and their conflicts are vital and real. They grow throughout the book, so that by the end you feel a real intimacy with them. The period setting is elegantly realized; you feel as though you are living in these far-away times, going to the bird market, observing the early forms of racism, encountering the ravages of the Inquisition. This is a story of family too, and the close bonds of the central characters are extremely vivid. I loved this book. Read it at once.

As an avid reader who has been ritually disappointed by the so-called "literary" sensations of the past year, it is a true joy to find a book with a heart and soul, written by an author at the top of his game.This mesmerizing, beautifully written tale of the friendship between a freed African slave and a bereaved child will make you weep on every page, such is the realism of emotion Zimler packs into each page. He is distinctly not an author given to mawkish sentimentality. This is the unputdownable book of the year that thoroughly deserves a wider audience. It is, as the flap copy suggests, an out-and-out masterpiece.

In 1800 Porto, Portugal, the memories of the Spanish Inquisition linger as Jews hide their faith to avoid a repeat of their previous fate. In this environs nine-year-old John Zarco Stewart becomes a friend with slightly older street person Daniel. John soon learns that his family is Jewish, which is why they are shunned by much of the townsfolk and fail to practice in their home. Violeta joins the two boys, but the guys one day find marks on her body as if somone battered her. She insists she fell, but her two pals think her odious uncle assaulted her.

When Daniel drowns and Violeta's family removes her from Porto, John feels bored and guilty because he thinks he caused misfortune for his two only pals until his papa brings home a new companion, African Bushman Midnight, who turns into a friend and mentor. As John becomes an adult, he marries, but a secret from the past propels him to journey to America where he starts a new adventure with a black woman.

HUNTING MIDNIGHT is a biographical fiction that consists of two stories. The first part of the book centers on the coming of age of the narrator. This segment is insightful as it provides depth to life on the Iberian peninsular during the Napoleonic Era, but also moves forward slowly as the misadventures seem somewhat trivial. The latter half of the book focuses on adventures of John the adult in the Americas. This is quite exciting as John adapts to a strange new world. Richard Zimmler returns his audience to Portugal three centuries after his delightful THE LAST KABBALIST OF LISBON with a strong historical tale.

Harriet Klausner

Robert Whitlow has written maybe his best book. The plot thickens from the first page, and, indeed, is still thick on the last.
The characters are believable and genuine, and the twists and turns in their relationships sometimes are not at all predictable.
The number of major characters is limited so the story is easy to keep up with, but the one major character is not obvious until the last line of the last page.
A great story with an unmistakable Christian message woven into the fabric. Read it.

This is a great book, one of the best I've ever read. The story is very good, the writing very realistic with true sounding characters. The kind of book that really stays with you long after you've read the last page. BEWARE - you won't be able to put it down!!
I recommend it to everyone!!

Robert Whitlow has sucessfully captured a small slice of the new south with his latest novel, Life Support. The tale centers on the evolution of a southern laywer and her quest for a life she can claim on her own terms. Through the twists and tangles of the big law firm life, she comes into contact with an emotionally disturbed woman who will change her future plans and all she had worked for.
One character has spent her life on the surface, looking for the answers to life in her work, while the other has lived in the dark, frightening place of anger and survival. In the middle is the story of family and the complexity of love and money.
Robert Whitlow has woven this tale so tightly that it takes more than one book to pick the threads apart. He grabs his reader in the first chapter with an amazing plot twist before you can settle into your easy chair. He has certainly earned his reputation as the "John Grisham of the Christian market" (Publishers Weekly).

Kathryn Wall is destined to become one of the great mystery writers of our time. I've gotten so I can hardly wait for the next Bay Tanner adventure to hit the stands. Unlike some popular female sleuths, Bay is no ditz, no wilting violet looking up beneath her lashes to glean her clues from some macho male. She's sexy, funny, gutsy, and savvy--the kind of woman you'd love to have as a best friend. Bay Tanner makes me laugh out loud, a rare and delightful treat. And Wall's skilled plotting and scintillating prose keeps me turning pages. I think her latest episode with her arrant "distant cousin," Mercer Prescott,is her best work yet.

You'll feel like an old friend has come for a visit in this third Bay TAnner mystery. As Bay winds her way through the Lowcountry, you'll almost be able to smell the marsh. When a young woman she's never seen or heard of before shows up in the local jail claiming to be a distant cousin, Bay has no idea the path that the two of them are about to embark on--one that could claim both their lives. A great read just as we've come to expect from Kathy Wall.

Former financial consultant Bay Turner convalesces at her Hilton Head home still recovering from the murder of her spouse. However, when she is asked to help her twenty something fifth half-cousin Mercer Mary Prescott who was arrested as a vagrant and locked up in Beaufort County jail, reluctantly Bay gets involved. Though a relative, Mercer is actually a stranger. Bay gets her dad's friend Judge Talbot Simpson to set bail. Mercer is freed.

Still Mercer remains in trouble due to a federal trespass charge for illegally entering the Savannah River nuclear plant. When Mercer flees thugs, goons and cops pursue. With other family woes descending on her, Bay joins the chase only to become involved in the deadliest family secret of all, PERDITION HOUSE.

PERDITION HOUSE is a strong thriller that seems almost out of control, but is deftly kept in line by author Kathryn R. Wall. The story line centers on Bay, who just wants a little peace of mind, but her relatives think otherwise. Instead of domestic tranquillity, Bay concludes that blood may be thicker than water and she somehow seems to get sucked into storms caused by her extended family starting with Mercer. This terrific tense thriller takes readers on quite a ride.

Harriet Klausner

The book is informative and fun. The authors divide the chapters by types of activities (i.e. arts, active, spectator sports) which is helpful. Additionally, each activity is specified by geographic location (mountains, piedmont, coastal plain). I think this book would be especially nice for a wedding or anniversary gift for a couple living in North Carolina.

Romantic North Carolina is good fun for lovers and others seeking adventures off the beaten path in such a beautiful state. The authors are savvy about their topic and include vivid site descriptions and a vast amount of resources on North Carolina. The book is exceptionally well-designed and will be a handsome and helpful addition to travel collections.

I bought this book as a gift for someone who asked for it, but I looked through it first. I expected cupids and overly cute things, but the authors have a real sense of humor and appreciate the potential romantic qualities of a wide range of otherwise cool things to do. I think it's just a great guidebook of fun things to do in North Carolina, romantic or not ... in the eyes of the beholder, I guess. But, if you're going to NC, or live there, take a look at it.

I had the pleasure of listening to this author lecture to in class during my senior year of college. Having the opportunity to discuss this book with the author made Slave Counterpoint come to life. Slave Counterpoint makes the topic of Antebellum slavery captivating for those interested in learning about the early days of slavery in the Cheasapeake Bay region. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has a sharp curiosity about early colonial history and wishes to be engaged in an honest account of events(I would recommend reading this book a couple of chapeter at a time).

I had to read this book for my History of Slavery class, thought by the author. Dr. Morgan gave excellent insight in addition to his book. I would suggust this book to anyone for anytype of reading, pleasure and required.

I have read no better detailed study than this book. Long but worth it due to the rich detail.